Discussing tlie District 303 reorganization problem are, left to 

 right: Farmer E. S. Whildin, secretary; lAA Rural School Rela- 

 tions Director John K. Cox; Sugar Grove Schools Supt. J. E. 

 Shields; and Kane County Supt. of Schools E. E. McCoy. 



SCHOOLS FOR 

 TOMORROW 



Kane County District Follows 

 Tradition and Consolidates 



By JIM THOMSON 



Ass't Editor, lAA Record 



Ir MAY seem strange to say that any rural community in 

 Illinois has a tradition ot school consolidation behind it. 

 This is the case, however, in the area covering all or parts of 

 eight townships which comprises Community School Dis- 

 trict 302 (see map) in Kane and part of DeKalb counties. 



Discontinuance of some rural .schools during the period 

 1 900-10 in what is now District 302 sent a number of farm 

 children to village schools. By 1920 one-room schools in the 

 neighborhood of Big Rock started the move by consolidating 

 some rural grade school districts. 



The move at Big Rock was followed by similar consolida- 

 tion around Sugar Grove, Elburn, Maple Park, and Kaneviile. 



Before the Kane County School Survey Committee was 

 ready to issue its preliminary report, the District 302 area had 

 no one-room school districts in existence. All had combined 

 with their neighbors to set up larger grade school districts. 



So when the voters were asked at an election in July to 

 approve of distrii.t consolidation, they did so by a heavy ma- 

 jority. The move brought five high schools and seven grade 

 schools under one board. 



Voters cast their ballots separately as either rural or urban 

 residents. Both groups favored the proposal. District 302 

 school board President Donald Stevenson, Elburn, said it wasn't 

 entirely a tradition of consolidation that caused the voters of 

 District 302 to approve the move to bring 197 square miles in 

 Kane and part of DeKalb counties under one school district. 



The important factor, according to Stevenson, was the gen- 

 er.il attitude of the people He said he believed that the farm- 



ers and towns-people in Kane county are among the best-in- 

 formed and most enlightened voters in the state in school 

 matters. They knew, Stevenson said, that consolidation meant 

 better opportunities for their children. That was the only 

 thmg that really mattered. They felt it was the thing to do and 

 they did it. 



The people were aware that some school reorganization 

 was necessary to give their children a better chance. The Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Association School Report states that a mini- 

 mum of 150 students is needed to operate a high school with 

 any degree of efficiency. The National Education Association 

 sets the figure at twice that number. Maple Park, the largest 

 high school in District 302, had an average daily attendance 

 last year of 90; Big Rock, 45; Elburn, 37; Kaneviile, 25; and 

 Sugar Grove, 25. Together they expect eventually to have a 

 combined enrollment of 300. This is enough for one first 

 class high school with a good assortment of both academic 

 and vocational subjects. 



John E. Shields, principal of the Sugar Grove high school 

 and chairman of the administrative staff of District 302, said 

 he believed the consolidation was long overdue. Small high 

 schools like Sugar Grove are not adequate in his opinion. Sugar 

 Grove is about ready to combine with another school any time. 

 Shields said, and this may be done next fall. 



"A small high school like ours," Shields said, "can't offer 

 much of a curriculum. How can you with 22 students? We 

 feel the need for an athletic program, better vocational agri- 

 culture and shop courses, music, speech correction, etc., and 

 we don't always have a home economics teacher. Besides high 

 school classrooms are needed by the increasing number of 

 children in the lower grades." 



No plans have been made for a central high school as yet 

 and the logical development in the eyes of school leaders is for 

 two or three of the schools to combine their enrollment. 



Already arrangements have been made or are being made 

 to combine some school activities and use special teachers, who 

 will work in many of the grade schools and most or all of the 

 high schools. 



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I. A. A. RECORD 



